Islamic State in the Philippines

At least 170 people have been killed and more than 180,000 have fled the city of Marawi in the Philippines since fighting broke out two weeks ago. On May 23 the Philippine army launched a failed raid in an attempt to seize Islamic State leader Isnilon Hapilon, the Islamic State “emir” of Southeast Asia. During the failed raid, footage was found of Hapilon and collaborators planning their siege on the southern city. Leader of the Maute group, also known as the Islamic State of Lanao, Abdullah Maute, was also seen on the video.

Hapilon pledged allegiance to IS last year and there is a current $5 million bounty issued by the U.S. State Department for his apprehension.

On May 23, pro-Islamic State fighters, primarily members of Maute Group emerged onto the streets of Marawi carrying IS flags and proceeded to wreak havoc on the city, including burning down the local college and a church. Reportedly the fighters were utilizing stockpiled weapons and tunnels prepositioned for the attack.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law for sixty days in the southern side of the Mindanao region with the hopes of defeating the insurgency.

The Maute group was founded roughly six years ago by Abdullah and Omar Maute. Its first known terrorist attack occurred in 2013 at a security checkpoint in Mindanao. Since then, it has pledged allegiance to IS in 2015 and continues to clash with the Philippine military.

Other than the fact that IS wants to expand its territory in the Philippines, another possible motivation for the siege is the propaganda it provides to insurgents. Fighting and challenging the Filipino forces could be attractive to the potential recruits.

According to Military Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año, the insurgents planned to launch the siege on May 26, the start of Ramadan in the south, but the date was moved up following the military’s raid.

It is likely that this surprise attack limited the allotted time for insurgents’ planning and therefore decreased the risk to life and property.

According to CNN, on the initial day of the siege, an authority declared that the “situation in Marawi” was stable and that security forces were “in full control of the situation.” However, 20 minutes later President Rodrigo Duterte “declared Martial Law over Minadano.”

Beginning with the 2016 Jakarta attack in Indonesia, IS has made its mark in Southeast Asia. It has been present in the Philippines since as early as November 2015 as indicated by Abu Sayyaf’s ransom video where IS symbols display in the background.

Additionally, violence in Mindanao such as the 2009 attack that killed 57, and the combat mentality it creates, leaves it susceptible to the rise of jihad.

IS occupation of key Philippines islands is not far-fetched. The Philippines is made up of 7,000 small islands (though most of the population only lives on 11 of them). With so much separation, it is difficult for the government to retain complete control over the country. This divide leaves a political opportunity for IS to spread its influence.

It is important to note that terrorism in the Philippines is not a new phenomenon. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been around as early as the 1970s and terrorist organizations such as Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah were founded in the 1990s. Both organizations have alleged ties to Al-Qaeda. In 2002, the United States began training Philippine troops fighting against Abu Sayyaff with some success.

That progress has since been lost as the U.S. has placed a decreased value on counterterrorism activity in Southeast Asia, which perhaps played a role in the expansion of jihadist activity in the region.  Over 60 groups in Southeast Asia have reportedly pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, suggesting the time has come for refocusing attention on the region.